The Limiting Belief

“Difficult families are just another cost of doing business in seniors’ care. There’s not much we can do about it. We just have to deal with it”

 

If you work in seniors’ care and have thought or said some version of this, you have something I like to call The Limiting Belief. Let me explain to you what this is, and why it’s contributing to the problem you have with your “difficult” families.

The Limiting Belief is a negative mindset that can be changed. Why do difficult families HAVE to be a cost of doing business in seniors’ care?

Let me tell you something- they don’t.

While yes, there are some families who, when they arrive at your home on admission day, their mind is made up about the industry and there’s nothing you can do to change that. But I would say most of your new families are arriving at your doorstep scared, sad, guilt-ridden and exhausted…which can translate into being ‘difficult’. After all, you’re not just meeting the family…you’re meeting their grief.

So here’s where The Limiting Belief comes into play. If you & your staff go into admission day (or any meeting with any family) with a shifted mindset of “let’s make these families fans of our seniors’ care home” and meet their grief with understanding & empathy, watch how your relationship transforms from combative to collaborative. Just because you feel as though you’ve been white-knuckling it up until now, doesn’t mean that has to continue.

By handing families a copy of Now What? on admission day, as well as teaching your staff ways to ‘Reset’ before each meeting with a family (as taught in my first book Recipe For Empathy) you’re showing families that you’re there to collaborate in ensuring their loved one receives quality care. This translates into a relationship built on trust, where you can clarify and manage expectations and avoid disappointment and conflict.

Difficult families DO NOT have to be another cost of doing business in seniors’ care- let’s change that Limiting Belief together.